The aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a block made of composite material which is reinforced in order to withstand impacts and other external stresses. The disclosed embodiments particularly relate to a block made of composite material which is intended to be placed on the upper surface of an aircraft wing in order to restore the aerofoil section in the region where said wing is fixed to the aircraft fuselage. The disclosed embodiments relate also to a method for reinforcing a block made of composite material.
It is currently known in many fields to replace some components, previously made of metallic material, with components made of composite material, notably in order to reduce the total mass of the device provided with one or more of these components. Thus, in the aeronautical field, many components, such as beams, covering panel, etc. are now made of composite material. If it enables to get good results from the point of view of the final aircraft mass, the components made of composite material can sometimes have an insufficient resistance to the charges to be withstood or to the environmental stresses.
It is notably the case when transition blocks are used in the region where an aircraft wing is fixed to said aircraft fuselage, and are intended to restore the aerofoil section of the wing in the fixation region. Such blocks made of composite material are described in the patent FR 2 869 872. The transition block made of composite material is located on the upper surface of the wing and is submitted to bad weather and to other external stresses. The transition block is made for example of a polymethacrylimid foam, that is hard and light, which facilitates its handling and installation on the upper surface of an aircraft wing.
The external surface of said block made of composite material remains however granular, even after the application of one or more protecting paint layer(s).
Moreover, it frequently happens that the block made of composite material is marked, indeed damaged, at the time of the fixation onto the aircraft wing. The block is often dented by the knee prints of the installation workers, by pots of paint used for covering the blocks, etc. The dents on the external surface of the block tend to reduce the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft, which notably increases the fuel consumption of the aircraft.